Below are some questions and answers, answered by Col. Louie Babbitt, DSO in the 305th at Bunker Hill AFB from 1961 until 1969.
QUESTION: Was your experience with the B-58 only with the 305th at Bunker Hill or were you trained at the 43rd?
Col. Babbitt: I was in the second group of five “crews” from Bunker Hill to be trained at Carswell by the 43rd CCTS. I didn’t realize until arriving back at BH, that these individuals were programmed to only fill all types of staff positions. I opted to be on a combat crew. The pilot I went through Carswell with was to be the Chief of Training, then DO. He flew occasionally and I always was his DSO even though I was on a regular crew.
QUESTION: How were you trained?
Col. Babbitt: Each of the three crew members spent six weeks at their specialty, DSO’s at Kessler, Miss., Nav’s at Castle, the pilots at Perrin AFB. We came together at Carswell, First general aircraft indoctrination, followed by the major aircraft systems and then many simulator missions, simulating mission planning an countless emergency procedures. The pilot and DSO were always together as I read all the check-lists had some duplicate gauges (fuel, epi) three radios, about 300 fuses to monitor, the Vulcan canon, ECM and chaff Computing wt and balance (CG) for take of, landing, refueling, supersonic, etc. After a final simulator check. The pilot and DSO had two or three flights in the TB, then one or two flights with our Nav. In the B-58, we flew mach 2 on our first two flights. That was the full check out.
QUESTION: In flying in the B-58, how did it differ from what you previously flew in before the B-58?
Col. Babbitt: Previous aircraft, b-26 and B-66 (first jet) was electronic recon. To located and obtain data as Freq., Pulse width, PRF, seep rate of Russian radar including SAMS and airborne radar. The B-58 was strictly electronic jamming to screen a bomber stream. The B-58 electronics were basically automatic jammers to protect ourselves, and the very latest technology.
QUESTION: Tell us about the handling of the B-58?
Col. Babbitt: Very little as I was not a pilot. Normally changing power the response was immediate, depending a bit on gross weight. Take-off was normally in Max-AB. At mach 2 a 180 degree turn was about 80 miles.
QUESTION: What was the typical daily flight program for the 58 that you were involved in? (including alerts, etc.).
Col. Babbitt: Mission planning was most of the day before the flight. A 7+30 mission would include a 1+30 Nav leg, a low level oil burner run of about 45 min with 2 shorter re-entries with an ECM run each time, one air refueling, sometimes two, GCA approach with two or more low approaches. Alert was much different. The twenty aircraft was “cocked”, meaning the check-list was complete to just before starting engines, max gross weight 163,000 lbs. The EWO mission was practically memorized.
QUESTION: How many hours do you estimate that you flew in the B-58?
Col. Babbitt: 1250 hours
QUESTION: Did you fly the same airplane each day or a certain groups of planes or did you fly anything/everything at BHAFB?
Col. Babbitt: Maintenance had to provide ten B-58 and at least one TB a/c five days a week 20 were on alert for about 6 weeks before replacement in the regular flying schedule. So you would be flying any plane on the schedule (random).
QUESTION: Did different planes fly/handle differently?
Col. Babbitt: Great differences in different types of aircraft, throttle response, control response, sensitivity, stall speed, sink rate, landing speed. for example, the pilot in the B-58 when nearing landing could not see the runway as the plane was in a 12 degree nose up for landing and he only had side vision.
QUESTION: How did the plane handle with the pod and w/o the pod?
Col. Babbitt: Normally, the plane was not flown without a pod. In 8+ years, I only flew a couple times without a pod, probably a test hop of short duration. Max AB was not needed for take-off and it went like a scalded ape, a real hot-rod!!! 25,000 less pounds. All missions were with a pd, no time for fooling around, all business.
QUESTION: How were crew selected for the B-58 program?
Col. Babbitt: The 305th had B-47’s with many experienced pilots and Nav’s, many volunteered, soon they came from many B-47 wings, I don’t recall anyone that wasn’t a volunteer. It was quite some time before we even at a 11st Lt. as a pilot. DSO’s had to come from the RB-47 wings (ECM), so we were all new to the outfit. We had one pilot that came to the 305th in Tampa years ago and made Colonel while I was there. His entire career was basically all in the 305th!
QUESTION: Did the planes really shine like the one at WP and the one you see in the pictures in the magazine?
Col. Babbitt: Not all were that shiny. It depended a lot on the crew chief as to how much time and desire he had. Generally an aircraft going to an air show or special missions were really cleaned up like new!
QUESTION: How often did you have to refuel the 58 and was it tricky to refuel off a KC-135?
Col. Babbitt: Normally every training mission included a refueling, occasionally TWO, and I been on THREE in one mission. For flying we only had three speeds, mach .91 (cruise), mach 2.0 (high alt. Bomb run for the last 100 miles to the target). We refueled right after every mach 2 run. After 1962, high level was out when Gary Powers was hit by a SAM at very high altitude in a U-2 over Russia. Then we went .91 at 500 feet for low level delivery, and popped up to 800 feet to .92 for the last 50 miles to the targets. The weapon had a chute to delay, so we could theoretically escape the blast. No refueling over there.
Special thanks to Col. Babbitt (retired) for sharing this invaluable information.